Method of supplying fuel to internal-combustion engines, &amp;c.



C. L. STOKES. METHOD OF SUPPLYING FUEL TO INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES, &c. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12. 1917.

1,Q8,266, Patented Dec.17,1918.

ATENT @FFTQEQ CHARLES I1. STOKES, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

"METHOD OF SUPPLYING FUEL T0 INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES, 8w.

Application filed. January 12, 1917.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. STOKES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Supplying Fuel to Internal-Combustion Engines, &-c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to methods of supplying fuel to internal combustion engines and the like; and particularly to a method for lifting and supplying liquid fuel to an internal combustion engine. It is the object of this invention to provide a simple and effective method of lifting liquid fuel from a low level tank and of supplying the fuel for the use of an internal combustion engine, the lifting and supplying of fuel being accomplished by the suction of the engine.

The method herein described is broadly claimed in my Patent 1,230,832 granted June 19, 1917, which latter was based on my Australian Patent 16,357 filed May 21st, 1915. My present method involves certain improvements over the method there disclosedand it involves particularly the lightening of the rising fuel column by the admission to the same of a restricted quantity of air not only at a low level point but also at a higher level so as to facilitate the venting of the elevated chamber.

For this purpose I illustrate in the drawings a typical apparatus in which my method may be carried out efiioiently. Although there are several different forms of apparatus in which the method may be practised as shown in my Patent 1,230,537 issued June 17, 1917, the apparatus illustrated herein suffices to show how the method may be carried into actual practice, said apparatus being claimed in my companion application 13%,137, filed November 29, 1916. The method includes the lifting of liquid fuel from a. low level tank to a high level service reservoir by applied suction of the engine. Air is admitted to the rising fuel, so as to lighten the rising column of fuel and so as to carburet the air. That air is then drawn into the engine by the engine suction; and the lifted fuel is then formed into a carbureted mixture with more air, which carbureted mixture is drawn into the engine along with the first mentioned carbureted air. As an important feature of the present invention the air is admitted at a plurality Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1?, 1918..

Serial No. 141,948.

of spaced points in the rising column, so that the column is lightened not only at a low level point but also at points thereabove so that there will be a greater lightening of the column at the top than at the extreme lower end. The accompanying drawing illustrates atypical form of apparatus; and in these drawings Figure 1 is a view showing the essential features of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section showing the connection of fuel lifting line to the main tank; Fig. 3 is an enlarged section showing the construction of the fuel lifting line; and Fig. i is an enlarged section showing a preferred arrangement of service reservoir andcarbureter. 1 have shown the service reservoir and carbureter made as an integral unit; but this may or may not be the case, as may be desired.

i In the drawing the numeral 10 designates a main low level tank having an air vent at 11 to admit atmospheric pressure to the liquid fuel contained therein. At 12 there a connection to the fuel lifting pipe 13; and this connection is made so that air may be admitted into the lower end of the pipe, if so desired. For instance, I provide a nozzle 14:, controlled by a suitable needle valve 15; and'th'e air may be drawn through the nozzle 14 by the movement of the fuel through the passage 16. This air enters through a pipe 17 whose upper end is abo e the highest level of fuel in the tank 10. By proper manipulation of valve 15, the proper amount of air may be admitted at the nozzle 14 to mix with the fuel entering the pipe 13. The fuel, with its contained air, is drawn up through the pipe 18 and finally passes at 20 into service reservoir 21. This service reservoir 21 may be built integrally with the carburetor, as illustrated. The mixed fuel and air entering the chamber passes through a baflie 22 which prevents the fuel from being drawn directly to the suction port 23 before the fuel and air have had an opportunity to separate. The fuel settles in the bottom of the reservoir 21 while the air is drawn out through the suction port 23. This suction port 23 connects at 2 1- With the suction. air passage 25 of the carburetor. Pass-a e 25 connects with intake manifold 26 of the engine 27 so that the suction of the engine is applied, through the suction port 23, directly to the upper part of the service reservoir 21, to create and maintain a partial vacuum therein and to draw into the engine the a which has an, amtiant pipe 13 with the fuel. Afioatlfiis mounted up on an arm 18 pivoted at28; and a valve-29- is va e 29 serving to'close suction port 23 when the float 19 rises when thereis a maxi:

'mumf amount or liquid fuel in reservoir'21;

.Thei valve 29-is of suchsize, that the suction through port.23 will hold the valve closed, when it is once 'seatedg so that the. float may fall througha'short distance, due to" the looseness oi. connection at 30, before" its Weight will be placed upon the valve 29 {to cause the valve to'beopencd again.

reter chamberBl to theservicereservoir 21.

. This carbureter chamber 31 feeds the fuel 13, keeping r 'the liquid level uniform chamber 21,.actsalso tokeep the liquid level uniform level.

- nozzle 32 inthe-suctionf air passage 25. The

chamber 31' has an :a'ir'vent 33 ;fand may be provided with'af small float raised-valve. 34;

mounted upon the float 35.; It is a function .oi jthis ,iloat merely to. close the air vent 33 should the carbureterbe tipped out of normal positionisofarthat the'tuel Wouldtend to runout of theivent The action of float suficiently uniform-"inchamber 31. How ever, the usual fuel float and fioat controlled valve may be used in the carbureter-chamber if so desired, in order'to' keep theliquid at a In addition to admitting air at connection 12, I may also, andfpreferalbly, admit air at difierent points in lifting pipe 13. For

instance, I may provide a small air-pipe 40 vvhose open-upper end atl is above the liquid level in tank 10, this air pipe 40 vextending down through the lifting pipe 13, and being provided With small air holes 42.

These air holes are/comparatively .very small, as 1t 1s only necessary to introduce a very small amount ofzair. For instance, if the internai diameter of pipe 13 is one.- quarter inch, thenthe external diameter of airpipe 4:0 Wouldbeabout one eighth inch and holes 2 would be 'of aboutthat'size made by a No. .64 drill. The holes maybe above the level of liquid in tank 10 and all of the holes are preferably below 'the'level denoted by the dotted line T1L, which shovvs the normal level of liquid fuel in the service reservoir 21. open and suction is applied to the reservoir 21, and fuel is being lifted through the pipe 13, then air willenter at the connection 12 and also at thealr openings 42, and this air corlpriiected loosely,* at 30, to the arm 18; this At 361 provide any suitable check valve tojprevent back flow o f fuel from the carbu- 42 uncovered; o that there is then atmos When the valve 29 is a naeaaee will mix with the liquid fuel and progres sively lighten the column of liquid. being raised, at the same time carbureting said air. This air separates from the liquid in the reservoir '21, and theair is drawn directly through'the suction port 23into the engine intake." (It Will be noted that the port 23 connects with the engine intake above the throttle. valve 25*, so that full Q benefit is obtained of the engine suction).

The liquid-fuel accumulates in reservoir 21,

raisingthe fioat19' and closing the valve] 29 When the liquid reaches'a predetermined; high level. then the mixed column of liquid and air-in pipe 13 separates,"the liquid falling back When the-suction is out 0d,;

down the pipe to the liquid level'in tank 10, and leaving atleast one of the openings pheric-pressu're on the liquid in'reservoir 21 through the uppermost. port 4C2. This, at-

mospheric pressure on the liquid in the resopen to atmospheric pressure. When the carburetor has used enough'of theliquid fuel to lowerthe liquid in reservoir 21 suifi ciently to open valve 29, the suctionis again applied. The. carbureter forms a carburetedf mixture of air with the liquid fuel drawn from reservoir 21 and fromcarbuervoir 21 allows that liquid to-fiow bygrav- ,ity to carbureter chamber 31, which is also reter chamber 31; and this carbureted mix ture is drawn into the engine, through manifold 26, along with thecarbureted air drawn "through the port 23; ln'the form of apparatus hereindescribed, it is npted that'the application of suction to service reservoir bureted air through suction port 23 is correspondingly intermittent. This is a preferred mode of procedure, although it is not necessarily the only mode. (For instance,

the carbureted air'is constantly drawn into theengi'ne intake from the service reservoir); Thi carbureted air, and carbureted 21 is intermittent; and-that suction of car- .inmy first filed application hereinbefore 'mentioned,.l explain a mechanism wherebymixture madeby. the carbureter, are drawn I together into the engine intake, to make the final mixture Which is actually used in the I engine. I find, in practice, that although the first mentioned volume .ofcarbureted air is onlydrawn into the engine intermittently (in this preferred form of device) yet the composition of this comparatively small volumeof carburetted air is so nearly the same as that" producedby thelcarbureter as to make no detrimental variation inthe final mixture used by the engine. Of course, in a case Where such carbureted air is constantly drawn into the engine intake (as hereinbefore referred to) then there is no.

variation in composition of the final mixture at all;

The foregoing description suficiently explains the. means of carrying out my method to make the method fully understood. I do not herein attempt to describe in detail all the different procedures that may be adopted, or all the different mechanisms that may be used; but rather to merely indicate a practical mechanism and to describe the method as it is carried out in that mechanism. And from this description it will-be seen that the essential features of the method are as hereinbefore outlined and as now pointed out in the following claims. 7

Having described a preferred form of my invention, I claim;

1. The herein described method of lifting and supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine which method consists in raising a liquid fuel to a closed chamber above the level of the source of supply, by intermittent application of the engine suction to said chamber, lightening the rising fuel by admitting tothe same a restricted quantity of air at a low level point and also near said closed chamber but below the level of liquid therein so that air admitted at the latter point will vent said chamber during the inter- I missions of the engine suction thereby perlightening the rising fuel to increasing de- 'grees at increasing distances above said.

source of supply by admitting to the same spaced points, one of l which is near said closed chamber, and another of which is near the source.

3. The herein described method of lifting and supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine, which method 'conslsts -1n raising a liquid fuel to a closed-chamber above restricted quantlties of air at a plurality of the level of the source of supply, by intermittent application of the engine suction to I d. The herein described method of lifting and supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine, which method includes the raising of a liquid fuel from a low level tank to a closed chamber above the level of said tank by application of the engine suction to said column, and lightening the rising ,column of fuel to increasing degrees at increasing distances from said tank by admitting to the same restricted quantities of air at a plurality of spaced points along the column outside of the tank. 0 a u ,7 In Witness that I claim the forego ng I have hereunto subscribed myname this 5th day of January, 1917.

CHARLES L. STOKES.

Witnesses: n

JAMES T.- BARKELEW, EDWARD H. BARKELEW. 

